Liberty Matters News Service

October 2, 2003  

Yet Another Wildlife Corridor

Beware; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (FWS) is worried about the future of the ocelot, an elusive little cat now found only in south Texas. Officials claim the cat's once plentiful numbers have dwindled to around 100, after believed to have lived as far north as Arkansas and as far west as California before the United States annexed areas of the Southwest, according to reporter Kevin Garcia. FWS researchers opine that once the cats disappear from Texas, we will have lost yet another "precious resource." In the next breath, federal officials say conservation easements on private ranchland are needed to create wildlife corridors to ensure the survival of the little cats. Now we know the truth. The ocelot is just another tool in the arsenal of the federal government to regulate private property and those in the news media perpetuate the storyline. FWS officials blame ocelot deaths on "human interference," citing a 1983 through 2003 study that indicated 44% of the deceased cats were road kill. According to Linda Laack, a biologist for a federal refuge, "[t]hey are a rather shy and timid (and illiterate) cat," which explains why they will likely ignore the "merge left ocelot signs" and continue to cross existing highways for their journeys, because as Laack says, "they don't know the difference."
Ocelots Endangered Along Rio Grand

Environmentalists Compete for Grazing Permits

Rep. Scott McInnis, (R-CO), has written a "Dear Colleague" letter warning House members not to sign onto a proposed anti-grazing bill being sponsored by Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT), and Rep. Grijalva (D-AZ). The proposed bill would allow environmental groups to buy grazing permits from Ranchers. In his letter, McInnis said that the force behind the proposed legislation is the National Public Grazing Campaign, whose goals are to eliminate all cattle grazing on public lands. Further, he said, the groups pushing the bill have "vigorous and well-funded legal teams that bankrupt ranchers while delaying and obstructing extensions of their grazing permits," forcing them into the buy out situation at dirt cheap prices. McInnis criticized Shays for meddling in western matters. "[A] bill that is the first step toward eliminating grazing on public lands championed by a member from the Northeast is a lot like me introducing a bill eliminating fishing in public waters off the New England coast." McInnis said the buyout proposal will dictate the future use of public lands - "and an abdication of Congress' and agencies' responsibility to make public lands use decisions." He urged the members to reject the radical view of the environmental groups and their Congressional lackeys because this legislation is "the first step along the path toward forcing American cattle ranchers off the public lands." To thank Rep McInnis for his concern, email Melissa Simpson. Melissa.Simpson@mail.house.gov
End All Grazing on Public Land?

Water War On the Missouri

Last month, a federal judge ordered the Army Corps of Engineers to drop water levels on the Missouri River to benefit a fish and a couple of shore birds. That action had a direct correlation to barges running aground in the mighty Mississippi. River commerce provides 25,000 jobs in St. Louis, the nation's third-largest inland port and the demands of upstream factions to withhold water for recreation combined with the environmentalists desire to return the river to Pre-Columbian conditions has people ready to fight. Lynn Muench, spokesman for the American Waterways Operators said; "This is a water war," while Chad Smith of American Rivers scolded Missouri for its refusal to go along with compromise proposals saying; "They need to understand it's the 'Missouri River, not Missouri's River.'" But officials argue their state is not the only one affected. At times, the Missouri provides as much as two-thirds of the water that supports millions of tons of commerce on the Mississippi and if the water flows are subject to continued interruption, businesses in other regions could suffer as well. Missouri's Senator Kit Bond has managed to slip riders into critical bills that so far have blocked change on the river and he claims an ally in President Bush who has publicly expressed his opposition to manipulation of the river's flow.
Change Wouldn't Keep Boats Afloat

Eco-Terrorists Hit LSU Veterinary School

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has claimed responsibility for last Tuesday's attack on a lab at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in Baton Rouge. Equipment and computers were destroyed and red paint was splashed on the walls, according to authorities. While there was no report of major damage done to on-going experiments, other attacks by ALF have caused serious setbacks to research finding cures for cancer and Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Walter Low said his program to develop a vaccine for treating brain cancer is still not up to speed following an April 1999 ALF attack on his laboratory that destroyed vital research, computers and animals. The criminals also destroyed brain cells from patients participating in an Alzheimer's research project. Because of the destruction, "we no longer have that vaccine to offer to that patient," said Dr. Low. "That patient has no other hope." Dr. John Orem, chairman of the Physiology Department at Texas Tech said the 1989 attack on his facility, where he conducts sleep research involving cats, didn't cause much harm but had the desired effect of inciting the media to brand his work as inhumane. ALF is on the FBI's list of domestic terrorists, but so far, they have eluded capture. "These people are very professional," said Orem. "I don't think they're ever going to catch them."
ALF Has History of Attacking Labs